The Limits of Love
by DiveintoHeart
Summary: After deciding that that city life is far to cluttered and depressing, Nina returns home to her father's farm for a few months to regain herself and find a better job. But maybe it's not just a job that'll be after her this summer...


The farm was just as the blond haired, blue eyed girl remembered it. A large wooden family mansion, the apple tree, the extensive barn, the small hay filled stable, but the most important, the large field filled with produce that changed season from season.

On the topic of seasons, the overall wearing girl thought about the upcoming summer. Upcoming meaning that it was tomorrow. Which didn't bother the 21 year old; the only thing that bothered her was the large intimidating city she had come from, and hopefully, wouldn't have to return to.

With her suitcase in hand, she walked up to the familiar door that led to the house she had lived in for 18 years. She knocked three times, knowing that only one would be necessary, as a pattern of clunks and stomps came roaring to the door. An oldish man, with a silver beard and wearing a black and red patterned flannelette shirt. He almost stumbled in meeting the girl, or should I say, his daughter, as it had been so long since he had seen her.

"Golly! Nina! You're back!" he shouted, holding his breakfast spoon in hand.

The girl, Nina, smiled at her occasionally lazy father.

"Hello Dad!" she replied, hugging him. After being let in by her Dad, she out her luggage next to the staircase, and proceeded to the left of the house to the kitchen.

"Look Father! This place hasn't changed at all!" Nina's voice heightened with joy "Even all those dishes from 3 years ago are still there!" she said sarcastically, pointing at the pile of dirty dishes that had piled up besides the sink. Her father chuckled a small laugh.

"Those are from the party last night!" he said, making up an excuse.

"Of course they are Dad!" Nina teased.

The large kitchen was still tiled and intact, fortunately enough. The dinner table was still there and all the bedrooms were all still on the second floor. Nina's room was two from the stairs, facing left. She had memorized that as a kid, so she didn't accidently walk in on one of her parents or sisters.

She began running up the stairs, counting her head:

_Two to the left, two to the left._

She reached the top of the antique stairs, turned to her left, and took two huge leaps. She positioned herself with the door. She closed her eyes and bit her lip in the slightest as the door stubbornly creaked open.

When the door was out of her hand's reach, she burst eyes open. Her room was just as she left it all those years ago. She says that, but really it's been 3 years. A lavender purple was coated over the walls, her 'Princess' bed was stationary besides the large window. The carpet was a darker shade of purple then the walls were which gave the room a sense of depth.

For a moment she was breathless, completely in awe of her room, despite the fact she had seen it millions of times before. That breathless moment soon reached two breathless moments, then three breathless moments, then four and almost five had she realized she was coughing and choking on dust. As her pupils contracted, she ran out of the room, coughing like she had the plague.

She was offered assistance in rising from her 'all fours' position by her father who, again, managed to unintentionally make his way up the stairs without making a sound. Accepting the bulky man's help, she began laughing at her way of almost pulling off a dumb moment.

"You haven't even been here for 5 minutes and you've already almost died!" her father said, joining in on the joke with his hearty laugh. Nina was always like that, putting herself into odd situations, but knowing exactly how to get out them. Whether it was experience or just intelligence, Nina and her father didn't know, all they knew it was hilarious to reflect upon.

"Well, Gerald, it's what I specialize in" Nina's joked with a fancy British accent, pretending to be Sherlock.

Gerald, her father, realised a large sigh as he went to open the window in her room.

"I now Nina… You may find it weird to be here, after leaving home and all, but…" Gerald tried to form the words, but wasn't very good with words, and girls, and daughters, and cooking.

"Dad! It's fine!" Nina replied, still enthralled to be back home "I'd much rather be here where it's safe rather than in some city, cooked up writing fake stories for newspapers." He smile seemed to lighten the room, and Gerald's life.

"Well, I tell ya, things ain't lookin' so good here…" he said, rubbing the back of his head "… we've had a few floods at the beach recently, nothin' dangerous, but the tide has risen higher than it needed to be"

Now, Nina was always one for adventure and crazy theories. She had written a documentaries' worth of information on how pixies and fairies could have gotten along in Year 4. Of course, it was by that stage everyone had realized she was a bit nuts, so they didn't even ask.

But these rising tides instantly intrigued her. Her almost advanced knowledge on local folklore began to react, knowing that a kappa was living in the lake behind the farm. And kappa's are water creatures right?

However, she promised herself she wouldn't get to deep into those types of things, as they usually reminded her of nightmares and dreams that still scared her. While she was temporarily here, she would help her father with finances and contracts, all the things he couldn't understand himself. Which was anything that didn't include outside work.

However, after a long and meaningful dinner and convocation with her father, catching up on the old days, she retreated back to her room, and set up her laptop and an array of books, all specializing in different parts of mythology and creatures. Once the screen had illuminated to a clear blue, Nina began searching for possible monsters that could fit the category of a sea based monster that lived in the sea and liked to invade beaches.

Her study kept her entranced for the night, matching searches and compatibility for such a precise creature. But summer was coming, and with it, an adventure that would have her, and someone else, holding on for dear life.

* * *

**A/N: Ok! My first fanfic for Harvest Moon! :D  
Just to let you know, yes, Nina is pretty much Claire, just changed the name. As for Gerald, dunno where that came from, kinda odd really. Details about the location and love interest will be in the next chapter, so please stay tuned! :)**

**DiveintoHeart**


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